East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project kicks off

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced the beginning of major construction activities on East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR), a $1.45 billion climate resiliency project that will extend flood protections and improve open spaces for more than 110,000 New Yorkers.

The communities of Manhattan’s East Side, from East 25th Street south to Montgomery Street, which were pummeled by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, will now be home to one of the most ambitious infrastructure and climate justice projects in New York City history.

ESCR will include an integrated 2.4-mile system of raised parkland, floodwalls, berms, and movable floodgates to create a continuous line of protection against sea level rise and the growing threat of stronger, more severe coastal storms worsened by climate change.

“Building a recovery for all of us means fighting climate change and investing in resilient communities. This project will keep generations of New Yorkers safe from extreme weather, coastal storm, and rising sea levels – all while preserving and improving some of our city’s most iconic open spaces,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The height of the flood protection throughout the project will extend between eight and nine feet above existing grade – a height that will protect the area from future Sandy-like storms.

The City anticipates this project – being managed by the NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) – will be complete by 2025.

The flood defense scheme has been engineered by Arcadis, with One Architecture providing the integrated design.